John Forsyth Sr. (October 22, 1780October 21, 1841) was a 19th-century American politician from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. He represented the state in both the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
and the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
, and also served as the
33rd Governor of Georgia. As a supporter of the policies of President
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
, Forsyth was appointed the 13th
United States Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State.
The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...
by Jackson in 1834, and continued in that role until 1841 during the presidency of
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...
. He also served as US Minister to Spain during the presidency of
James Monroe
James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...
.
Early life
Forsyth was born in
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 27,982. It is south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond, Virginia, R ...
. His father,
Robert Forsyth, a Scottish immigrant, was the first
U.S. Marshal to be killed in the line of duty in 1794. He was an attorney who graduated from the
College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1799. He married Clara Meigs, daughter of
Josiah Meigs, in 1801. One of his sons,
John Forsyth, Jr., later became a newspaper editor.
Political life
Forsyth served in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
(1813–1818 and 1823–1827), the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
(1818–1819 and 1829–1834), and as the
33rd Governor of Georgia (1827–1829). He was the
United States Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State.
The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...
from 1834 until 1841. In this role he led the government's response to the ''
Amistad'' case. He was a loyal follower of
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
and opposed
John C. Calhoun in the issue of
nullification. Forsyth was appointed as Secretary of State in reward for his efforts. He led the pro-removal reply to
Theodore Frelinghuysen about the
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was signed into law on May 28, 1830, by United States president Andrew Jackson. The law, as described by Congress, provided "for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states or territories, ...
of 1830. He supported slavery and was a slaveholder himself.
Death and legacy
Forsyth died in Washington, D.C., and was buried in
Congressional Cemetery.
Forsyth County, Georgia
Forsyth County ( or ) is a County (United States), county in the Northeast Georgia, Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Suburban and exurban in character, Forsyth County lies within the Metro Atlanta, Atlanta ...
,
Forsyth, Georgia
Forsyth is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Georgia, United States.[Forsyth]
Georgia.gov The pop ...
, and
Forsyth Park in Savannah are named for him. He died the day before his 61st birthday.
In popular culture
*In the 1997
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
movie, ''
Amistad'', Forsyth was played by character actor
David Paymer.
Notes
References
*
*
External links
*
*
Biography at Players in the Amistad Affair">Letter, 1825 Mar. 5, Washington, [D.C. to/nowiki> G[eorge
">.C. to">Letter, 1825 Mar. 5, Washington, [D.C. to
/nowiki> G[eorge/nowiki> M. Troup, [Governor of Georgia] / John Forsyth]
[Letter
/nowiki> 1826 June 15, Sand Hills, ">eorgia/nowiki> / John Forsyth]
">[Letter
/nowiki> 1827 Dec 12, Milledgeville, Georgia, [to Governor">etter">[Letter
/nowiki> 1827 Dec 12, Milledgeville, Georgia, [to Governor/nowiki> of Tennessee, Sam[ue]l Houston / John Forsyth, Gov[ernor of Georgia]]
[Letter
/nowiki> 1830 Jan 24, Georgetown, District of Columbia ">o/nowiki> George R. Gilmer, Governor of Georgia / John Forsyth]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Forsyth, John (Georgia)
1780 births
1841 deaths
Ambassadors of the United States to Spain
Burials at the Congressional Cemetery
Democratic Party United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state)
Democratic-Republican Party United States senators
Georgia (U.S. state) attorneys general
Democratic Party governors of Georgia (U.S. state)
Jackson administration cabinet members
Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives
Politicians from Fredericksburg, Virginia
Princeton University alumni
United States secretaries of state
Van Buren administration cabinet members
Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States
19th-century American diplomats
Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state)
Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state)
La Amistad
Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
United States senators who owned slaves
Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves
Meigs family
19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
19th-century United States senators
19th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly